1. Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling stiffness of an output link in moving mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the demand for the robot has been increased not only for industry but also for family use, and hence the research on the robot is now actively going on. A joint movement is a part of interest regarding the motion of the robot, and in the conventional technology, a complicated structure and a considerable space are required for stiffness control and positional control in rotational or translational movement of a robot joint.
The method of controlling the stiffness of the robot joint includes: e.g., installing a sensing element such as a force/torque sensor at a location close to the end portion of a robot arm having a predetermined stiffness and adjusting the torque of the joint based on a signal detected by the sensing element, thus adjusting the stiffness of the joint; and inserting a device for adjusting the stiffness in the joint of the robot, instead of employing the force/torque sensor, and adjusting the stiffness depending on the situation by using the device.
On the other hand, there has been an attempt to enhance realization of the motion and possibility of universal application of the robot in a more effective manner by adopting a structure that simulates human muscles and achieving a nonlinear characteristic with respect to a variable for adjusting the stiffness of the joint, i.e., a stiffness adjustment variable (see, for example, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0111580).